The German Grand Prix looked as if was going to be a boring procession, but nothing was further from the truth. The entire race was turned on its ear after a momentary lack of concentration from pole sitter Vettel (Ferrari) saw the red car nose first into the wall and bogged down in the gravel.
The other factor was the intermittent rain, where parts of the circuit could be wet, while other corners were dry. The decision to change to intermediate wets was a toss up and some drivers guessed correctly, whilst others were in and out of the pits while the pit crew tried to keep up with the changing demands of track and drivers.
One of the first to change tyres was Super Cloggie Max Verstappen (Red Bull) who found it was the wrong choice and was back in a few laps later. Another driver who found the wets heavy going was the other boy wonder Charles Leclerc (Sauber) who showed his skill by changing a slide into a complete pirouette selecting first gear and continuing as if nothing had happened.
Throw in some close infighting with the mid-pack Grojean (HAAS), Perez (FIndia) and Ocon (FIndia).
One driver whose seat is under question for 2018 is Hartley (Toro Rosso) who kept his nose clean to finish in the points.
While all this was going on, Hulkenberg (Renault) was running his own race though never able to catch the front runners.
With all this activity and a Safety Car period, Hamilton (Mercedes) found himself leading the pack, a sterling job having come from 14th at the start, though it must be said that nobody challenged him on his way forwards. Doors were conspicuously left open.
Hamilton’s teammate Bottas was relegated to finish second after the Mercedes pit was told him to hold position. No guesswork in the Tristar team as to which of their drivers is the leader.
The other driver relegated to the rear of the grid was Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) following engine woes in Qualifying. He managed to get up to 6th by lap 28, at which stage the rebuilt engine called quits. Ricciardo will undoubtedly re-sign with Red Bull, as none of the top teams have a vacancy. Shame, as he needed to be driving for a world title to increase his stock, and instead will be running as the second string to Verstappen.
Another driver looking for a better seat is Vandoorne (McLaren) but coming away with no points again does nothing for his stock, and being beaten every meeting in Qualifying by team mate Alonso means that he will not be seen next year.
Results
1 L Hamilton Mercedes
2 V Bottas Mercedes
3 K Raikkonen Ferrari
4 M Verstappen Red Bull
5 N Hulkenberg Renault
6 R Grosjean Haas
7 S Perez Force India
8 E Ocon Force India
9 M Ericsson Sauber
10 B Hartley Toro Rosso
11 K Magnussen Haas
12 C Sainz Renault
13 S Vandoorne McLaren
14 P Gasly Toro Rosso
15 C Leclerc Sauber
Retirements
R F Alonso McLaren
R L Stroll Williams
R S Vettel Ferrari
R S Sirotkin Williams
R D Ricciardo Red Bull
The next meeting is this weekend at the Hungaro Ring, with the races starting at 8.10 p.m. Thai time again.
